


ladybugs and goldfish

by charcoalcas



Series: revelations [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:08:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charcoalcas/pseuds/charcoalcas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>food court revelations</p>
            </blockquote>





	ladybugs and goldfish

"Cas - Cas. Look, she's totally checking me out."

Cas, mouth full of burrito, subtly surveys the other patrons spread out around the airport food court as he pretends to check their bags. There are only a few other people close to them and none seem to be looking their way.

"I don't see anyone," he whispers, sitting back up and stealing some of Dean's orange chicken. Dean rolls his eyes and inclines his head toward whoever he thinks is watching them.

"Over there, in the pink flowers. Right over your shoulder."

This time, Cas just turns in his seat. There's an elderly couple a few tables away reading through some papers, a small family working through their own pile of cheap food, and a lone man texting on his phone. Cas doesn't see a young woman wearing anything that includes pink flowers.

"Dean, there isn't anyone-"

"Dude, the baby! The baby's been watching me this whole time."

Next to the small family's table, a small baby girl in a pink flower patterned top is sitting in her stroller. A pile of mostly smashed goldfish are scattered around her tray, a sippy cup discarded and dripping on the floor in front of her. She's looking over at their table, her smile bright and entirely honest as she watches Dean. When he waves, she excitedly waves her chubby hands back at him in the air and coos, her socked feet kicking with delight until one of her polka dot socks threatens to go flying.

Her brazen joy is reflected on Dean's face when Cas turns back to him; he's making quiet silly sounds and exaggerated expressions to elicit responses from her. Something heavy and warm spreads through Cas' chest as he watches them play together across the couple yards between them, but something protective crawls through him too - Dean's happy, walls down in a way that usually takes some work, and Cas bizarrely finds himself wishing he could just take the baby with them to keep Dean feeling this safe and forthright with his enjoyment.

Eventually, Dean waves goodbye to her and turns back to his Chinese food, though his smile lingers for the rest of the meal. Cas doesn't say anything, worried words will chase away whatever Dean is feeling, so he settles for slowly rubbing his boot against Dean's ankle as they talk, ignoring Dean's embarrassed grumbles as he reaches across the table for Cas' hand and holds it while they work through an order of nachos.

They're interrupted from Dean's explanation of why airplanes are death traps when the stroller wheels next to their table. They look up to see the mother beaming down at them as she says, "I think Stella wanted to say goodbye before leaving."

Dean's face is guarded when he glances up at her and the rest of the family watching them from a little ways away, but it softens when he looks down at Stella. She's holding up a goldfish for him, shy now that she knows other people are watching.

"Thanks, ladybug." Dean gently takes it from her small hand and pops it into his mouth, winking at her when she claps and kicks her feet again.

"You have a beautiful daughter," Cas says sincerely, smiling up at the mother while Stella babbles at Dean and offers him her sippy cup of apple juice. "She has a kind soul."

"I'm lucky to have her," the mother answers. She adopts a shyness similar to her daughter's when she adds, "Do you two have any of your own?"

Dean's face tightens at the question. When Cas doesn't answer, he looks up from where Stella is gripping one of his fingers and shaking his arm up and down. Cas feels nervous, suddenly, about Dean's answer - ridiculous, of course, since he has no reason to be, but his heart throbs and jackknifes up his throat all the same.

"No," Dean says carefully, avoiding Cas' gaze. After a pause, he says, "We've never really talked about it."

"Well, for the record," the mother says, a knowing glint in her eye. "I think you two will make excellent fathers one day."

Cas can feel his face heating up and glances over at Dean to see he's no better, mouth pinched shut as he extracts his finger from Stella's merciless grip.

The ensuing silence is painfully awkward but the mother seems amused and almost mischievous when she leans over the stroller and tells Stella to say goodbye to her friends (she gives Dean a garbled bunch of vowels and waves).

"Have a safe flight!" the mother says brightly, and pushes the stroller away to join the rest of her family. Stella strains to lean over the edge of her stroller and waves at Dean until they disappear in the flood of airport traffic.

The silence is a powder keg. Dean picks at his broccoli and Cas gathers their trash into his Taco Bell bag.

"Well," Dean says, standing up so quickly his knees knock into the table. "We'd better get to our gate, Cas, don't wanna-"

"I would love to have a family with you," Cas blurts and, horrified, quickly covers his face with a hand. Behind his palm, he finds he doesn't feel regret; he realized the words were true the second they flew out of his mouth. The timing could have probably been better.

"Dean," Cas begins, wearily dropping his hand to apologize but then Dean is there, both hands gripping the sides of Cas' face to tug him forward and he's kissing him desperately, teeth clacking with the force of it.

It softens after a few seconds and Dean sighs into his mouth, eyes closed when he rests his forehead against Cas'. Cas reaches up to rub the back of Dean's neck, fingers running through the soft, short hairs there, until Dean pulls back and straightens up.

"We're gonna miss our flight if we don't haul ass," Dean says, expression bashful when it drops to the floor to hide his smile.

They hold hands all the way to the gate, shoulders bumping, parting only so Dean can buy them neck pillows from the convenience shop as consolation for having to get on the plane.

**Author's Note:**

> originally post on tumblr. it's left kind of ambiguous as to whether this is an au or in canon so imagine what you like!!


End file.
